An American Airlines jet in Philadelphia has been evacuated after passengers “smelt smoke”.

Travellers have been left stranded after the dramatic incident in the middle of the night on the tarmac at Philadelphia International Airport.

American Airlines have said in a statement that the flight was headed to Savannah/Hilton Head International and that the plane had experienced a mechanical issue before departure.

The statement said: “American Eagle flight 5671, operated by PSA Airlines, experienced a mechanical issue prior to departure at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL).

All customers and crew deplaned, and the aircraft was taken out of service to be inspected by our maintenance team. We thank our team members for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for their experience.”

Several passengers reported smelling smoke as the plane went down the runway, leading the crew to initiate an evacuation. Some travellers exited the aircraft through the aircraft’s emergency exit.

Jerry Parker, one of the passengers seated in an emergency exit row, told NBC10 that he helped get others off the aircraft.

He said other passengers had been left frustrated and waiting in Philadelphia for new flights. Mr Parker said: “My flight was $600 round-trip. That’s a lot of money,” Parker said.

“They need to hire quality people to work on the planes. Because we just had a crash a while back with a UPS plane, so that tells me they need to step their game up.”

American Airlines has not released further details about the cause of the mechanical issue.